Exercise 4: Build Your Personal Automation Map

Time: 2-3 hours
What you'll produce: Your deliverable document

Instructions

Create a document (Google Doc, Word, or even a nicely formatted text file) called "My Personal Automation Map" with the following sections:

Section 1: Overview

Write 2-3 sentences about why you want to automate work. What's your motivation? What do you hope to get back (time, focus, reduced errors)?

Section 2: My Automation Candidates

For each of your top 3 tasks from Exercise 2, create a subsection:

Task: [Name]

Current effort: - How much time does this take per week/month? - How often do you do it?

Why automate it: - What's the payoff? (time saved, fewer errors, better consistency?)

Automation readiness (score 1-10): Rate it on these criteria: - Structured data? Does the input data have a consistent format? (1 = chaotic, 10 = perfectly structured) - Predictable trigger? Is there a clear event or time that starts this? (1 = manual, 10 = perfect trigger) - Clear output? Do you know exactly what the result should look like? (1 = fuzzy, 10 = crystal clear) - No judgment required? Is this mostly procedure, with little decision-making? (1 = mostly judgment, 10 = pure procedure)

Overall automation score: [sum of 4 ratings, out of 40]

Workflow sketch: Draw or describe your trigger → actions → output. Even a rough sketch helps. Example:

[Email arrives with "invoice"]
        ↓
[Extract amount, vendor, date]
        ↓
[Format as currency, standardize date]
        ↓
[Add row to "Invoices" Google Sheet]
        ↓
[Send Slack notification to #finance]

Section 3: Ranked Priority

List your 3 tasks in order of automation potential (highest score first). This is your priority list for Module 2. You'll pick the top one to build first.

Section 4: Screenshot

Include the screenshot from Exercise 3 (your tool setup).

Section 5: Open Questions

List any blockers or questions you have: - "How do I connect email to my automation tool?" - "Can the tool pull data from [specific app I use]?" - "What if the data format varies?"

These are things you'll learn in Module 2.

Your Deliverable Checklist

Before you move to Module 2, confirm you have:

• ✅ Exercise 1 completed: List of 5-10 repetitive tasks, with the most automatable ones circled
• ✅ Exercise 2 completed: Detailed trigger-action-data breakdown for 5 tasks
• ✅ Exercise 3 completed: Screenshot of your automation platform (Make or n8n)
• ✅ Exercise 4 completed: Personal Automation Map document with 3 prioritized tasks, scores, sketches, and questions

What Comes Next

You're ready for Module 2: Building Your First Workflows.

In Module 2, you'll: 1. Take the top task from your Automation Map 2. Actually build the workflow in your chosen platform 3. Test it with real data 4. See it work

This isn't theoretical anymore. You're about to build something real.

Tips for Success

1. Don't overthink Exercise 1. Just notice what you do. You don't need perfect data—rough patterns are enough.

2. Be specific in Exercise 2. "Copy data" is vague. "Extract the invoice amount from the email and format it as a number with two decimals" is what you'll tell the automation tool.

3. Score honestly in Exercise 4. If something scores low, it probably isn't a good first automation. You want something that's structured, has a clear trigger, and doesn't require judgment.

4. Your sketch doesn't need to be beautiful. Boxes and arrows are fine. Even a paragraph description works.

5. Ask your open questions. Write them down. They're not failures—they're what you'll solve in the next module.

FAQ

Q: What if I don't have 5 automatable tasks?
A: You're either in a very unusual job (all judgment, no repetition) or you're not being honest about what you do. Everyone has repetition. It might be weekly instead of daily, but it's there. Keep looking.

Q: What if everything seems like it requires judgment?
A: Break it down more. "Respond to customer emails" requires judgment. "Route customer emails to the right department based on keywords in the subject" is mostly procedure.

Q: What if I don't know what tool to use yet?
A: Pick Make. It's the easiest. You can migrate to n8n later if you want. The concepts are the same.

Q: Can I collaborate with someone on my Automation Map?
A: Absolutely. Your cofounder or colleague might see automation opportunities you don't. In fact, building automations as a team is one of the best use cases.

Bridge to Module 2

You now understand: - What's automatable and what isn't - The building blocks of every workflow - Where AI fits in - What tool to use - The limits to respect

Module 2 is where you build. You'll take one task from your map and turn it into a real, working automation. You'll connect your apps. You'll test with real data. You'll fix it when it breaks. You'll see the payoff.

Get ready. It's going to feel good.

Ready for Module 2? Start here →